After months of hard work and preparation, the band program’s 2024-2025 winter band concert was a massive success. The Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble all performed noteworthy Christmas classics, cheerfully concluding the year. People from Davie County and beyond packed the auditorium to the brim—dozens of audience members had to stand because of the lack of seats, and the band even ran out of programs. 

“The support for our program never ceases to amaze me,” band director Matthew Brusseau said. “We had 850+ at our concert. There was standing room only to support the AMAZING students of our program. It excites me to see the support for our program.”

 All the proceeds from this concert went to the Edwin Owens Scholarship, offered to graduating seniors in the band program. Under the direction of Mr. Brusseau, all three ensembles ended the year on an unmistakably festive note. 

Concert Band

The Concert Band performed first, delivering a bright and cheery performance of “Christmas Light Fanfare” arranged by Randall Standbridge. The second piece the band performed was Christopher Theofandis’s groovy arrangement of “Sweet Like That” filled with upbeat brass fanfares and energetic percussion parts. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” was next; it’s both a Christmas classic and no doubt a fan favorite from the winter concert. It featured a jazzy alto saxophone and trombone duet by Seth Postell and Bentley Bailey, led by swingy cabasa and hi-hat parts. Randall Standridge’s “A Christmas Tale: Beware the Krampus” featured an unconventional narration part performed by the charismatic Mr. Doug Russell. This piece highlighted some of the many achievements the Concert Band has made this semester. When asked how much each band has improved this semester, all of the responses highlighted the astronomical growth each group has made. The Concert Band’s final selection, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” by Jack Bullock, included features from various instruments such as flute and piccolo. Cadence Mau, a freshman flutist, says “I like the vibe it gives off.” The piece was a wonderful conclusion to the Concert Band portion of the concert, leaving the audience with good vibes. 

Symphonic Band

The Symphonic Band was next on the program. They opened their set with “Sparkling Lights” by Matt Conaway, an upbeat festive overture that paints the picture of the colorful lights often seen during Christmas. Their next piece was “Themes from ‘The Nutcracker,’” composed by Tchaikovsky and arranged by Ed Huckeby. The ensemble gracefully interpreted Tchaikovsky’s renowned ballet, using intricate woodwind runs to convey the tone of classic orchestral strings. “In The Bleak Midwinter,” composed by Gustav Holst and arranged by Phillip Sparke, was a tranquil take on a well-known Christmas carol. Moving upper woodwind lines imparted the traditional peace and contentedness of the Christmas season, leading to a natural and inconclusive ending. “Glaciers” by Scott Director took the audience on a unique journey through a more natural interpretation of winter. The opening section was enchanting and tranquil, but a Maestoso tempo marking caused a shift into a more dramatic and poignant scene. The piece also featured many soloists including flutist Alejandro Cuevas, who performed the piece’s opening solo.

“My favorite part of playing the solo was being able to create and describe the image of a landscape only by sound,” Cuevas said. “Making the sound ‘pretty’ was another fun thing to do. I also enjoyed being able to play louder.” 

The Symphonic Band’s final selection was “Brazilian Bell Carol” by Robert W. Smith, an energetic and percussive twist on the traditional “Ukrainian Bell Carol.” The piece closed the Symphonic Band’s part of the concert with a bang.

A Festive Interlude

While the Symphonic Band cleared the stage and the Wind Ensemble prepared to perform, Sean Lane, the band’s business manager, came to the podium. The audience thought it was just a standard “thank you” speech to wish the audience a merry Christmas, but the students knew better. For the month before the concert, many of the students in the program had been secretly working together to raise money for a special gift. Lane presented Brusseau with a pair of “very very very nice earplugs” and a giant card expressing the band’s gratitude. 

“We made a group chat with over 100 students and we had donations from a lot of band students that were willing to chip in for this gift to Mr. Brusseau. We raised about $350,” Lane explained. “Mr. Brusseau always advocates wearing proper ear protection because it’s a major problem that lifelong musicians face, and losing one’s ability to hear can affect a musician’s ability to teach. This gift is so important because it will preserve Mr. Brusseau’s ability to teach at the high school for years to come!” 

Wind Ensemble

The Wind Ensemble grabbed everyone’s attention with their first selection, Bertrand Moren’s arrangement of “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Excerpts from the film like “What’s This” and “This Is Halloween” set the scene for a narrative concert. Moren’s arrangement allowed for seamless transitions, with various parts capturing a more dramatic part of Christmas (and Halloween). The next piece was “Song for Lyndsay,” an emotional piece by Andrew Boysen Jr. dedicated to his wife. The piece’s dynamic contrast and flowing nature mark it as nothing less than poetic. Brayden Brooks, a senior flutist, says her favorite part was “the height of the piece where it was the loudest, and the band was giving 100%”. 

“Noisy Wheels of Joy” by Eric Whitacre was next, a lively piece inspired by energetic carnival rides. “Christmas Toons” by Julie Giroux left a festive mark on the audience. The ensemble’s jazzy and commendable execution of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” one of the “toons” of Giroux’s arrangement, dropped the audience off in the middle of Whoville. The Wind Ensemble closed the concert with a vibrant and exhilarating rendition of Leroy Anderson’s classic “Sleigh Ride,” featuring Edwin Owens on the slapstick. 

Bravi Tutti! 

All three ensembles experienced incredible growth since the fall concert earlier this year, and the evolution of their musicianship is clear. The bands now look forward to the challenges on the horizon: MPA (Music Performance Assessment), their spring concert, and the All-District and All-State bands.